Spurs are now battling Knicks in free agency after Mitchell Robinson exit

The San Antonio Spurs are just a few painful weeks removed from getting beaten by the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. Now, they find themselves in yet another battle with New York: The battle to find a backup center. The Spurs need to upgrade from Luke Kornet, and the Knicks need to replace Mitchell Robinson.

Robinson left the Knicks in free agency. He signed a three-year, $47.4 million contract with the Boston Celtics in free agency, joining a division rival. Combine that with the fact that Ariel Hukporti left to join the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Knicks have been left without a backup center behind Karl-Anthony Towns.

So, the Knicks and Spurs will have to battle it out to find their new backup center.

Spurs and Knicks are both looking for a backup center

The unfortunate reality of the Spurs’ situation is that Kornet wasn’t good enough in the playoffs. There were good moments, and in the regular season, he did a fine job, but he fell flat in the postseason.

So, as the Spurs look for ways to improve their roster next season, finding an upgrade at the backup center position should be toward the top of their list. At least, in theory.

San Antonio could just run it back with Kornet and hope he improves – or hope the playoffs break a different way – but adding another quality big man could be smart.

That said, the Spurs and the Knicks are in vastly different positions. The Spurs have options at the backup center position. The Knicks quite literally do not.

During the 2026 NBA Draft, the Spurs added quite the lineup of potential big men. They took Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintaince, UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr., and Duke’s Maliq Brown.

If any of those guys end up being a legitimate center option for the Spurs to rely on (Reed seems the most likely), then they may not have to worry about finding a replacement.

However, the Knicks have no one. They don’t have a single backup center option on the roster right now. They have to address that problem before the season begins.

So, while the Spurs and Knicks could both end up scouring the market for a backup big man, New York definitely seems to be in the more desperate position.

San Antonio would probably like to add an upgrade at the backup center spot this summer, but the Knicks absolutely need to add a backup center.

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